C4 Pedro

C4 Pedro reached the summit of the Angolan charts by blending silky R&B textures with the sensual kizomba rhythms native to his homeland. His first long-player arrived in 2008, yet it was the follow-up, the 2011 set Calor & Frio, that established him as a major force; three years later his third solo outing, King Ckwa, finished atop Angola’s year-end sales ranking. He has also maintained a parallel partnership as one half of the duo B4 alongside rapper Big Nelo.

The artist entered the world as Pedro Henriques Lisboa Santos in Luanda, Angola, the child of vocalist Lisboa Santos. Much of his upbringing took place in Belgium, where he and his brother Lil Saint initially performed together under the name Brothers Lisboa Santos. Their joint project Lágrimas surfaced in Belgium in 2008 before receiving a domestic reissue in Angola prior to the close of the decade.

Momentum gathered rapidly once tracks such as “Pokémon & Picachu,” which featured Ary, and the album’s title song, which featured Angolan rapper Big Nelo, began circulating; the resulting visibility propelled Calor & Frio. Adopting the B4 moniker with Big Nelo, the pair released the album Los Compadres in 2013, followed in 2014 by the live recording Ao Vivo Lisboa. C4 Pedro’s next solo statement, King Ckwa, appeared the subsequent year and ultimately ranked as Angola’s top-selling album of 2015.

Further singles emerged in 2016—“Estragar” featuring Agir, “Tá Pegar Fogo,” and “Céu”—while he simultaneously served as producer for full-length projects by Sutak and Nadine Pereira. After additional joint work with Sauti Soul and Stonebwoy, he issued his fourth solo album, The Gentleman, in 2019.